Bag closing apparatus



Dec. 31, 1957 w. R. PETERSON 2,817,935

BAG CLOSING APPARATUS Fild Nov. 30, 1954 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 m w @m m mm.IAIIIIM b N Dec. 31, 1957 w. R. PETERSON BAG CLOSING APPARATUS 7Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 30, 1954 m. m m m T/V/L L m MCfErE/asom 44;, ATrop/vers.

Dec. 31, 1957 w. R. PETr-:RsoN

BAG CLOSING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Shea?l 5 Filed Nav. so, 1954 INVEN TOR.Pif/L1. /A M RETE-@50M d BY awl 1mm 441 Afro/Mfrs,

Dec. 31, 1957 w. R. PETERSON BAG CLOSING APPARATUS n '7 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed NOV. 30, 1954 I+ m mm R M ,A u WM A TTONEYS.

Dec. 31, 1957 W. R. PETERSON BAG CLOSING APPARATUS.

7 Sheets-Shea?I 5 Filed NOV. 30, 1954 JNVENToz; n VLL/AM PETE/EGON. dem,l] c) M4 LL ArrofP/vfy5.

I Dec. 31, 1957 v w. R. PETERSON BAG CLOSING APPARATUS Sheets-Sheet 6`Filed NOV. 30, 1954 l INVENToR. MB@ 1. /A M R PEr-E/aso/v. wud..

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w. R. PETERSON 2,817,936

BAG CLOSING APPARATUS Dec. 31, 1957 Filed Nov. 30, 1954 7 Sheets-Sheet 7United States l Patent O BAG CLSING APPARATUS William R. Peterson, SouthAttleboro, Mass., assignor to St. Regis Paper Company, New York, N. Y.,a corporation of New York Application November 30, 1954, Serial No.471,988

19 Claims. (Cl. 53.126)

This invention relates to apparatus for closing openmouthed filled bags.

The `invention more particularly relates to means for leveling the upperedges of the mouths or upper wall closure portions of a succession ofopen-mouthed filled bags and at the same time holding such upper wallclosure portions in a closed condition, for example, in order that suchleveled bag mouths ythen can be sewn closed, each with a seam, which byvirtue of such leveling, is straight, parallel to and adequately spacedfrom such upper edges of the bag.

The invention is well adapted, among other purposes, for use incombination with bag closing apparatus of the type wherein a conveyor isprovided for conveying the filled bags in succession to a sewing machinewith the upper wall portions of such bags in opposed upstandingpositions generally parallel to the conveyor path, and ready to beclosed by a sewn seam. Usually such apparatus also includes means forapplying a closure tape along and astride the mouth of the bag, whichtape becomes fixed in place by the aforementioned sewn seam.

In apparatus of this type heretofore proposed, so far asknown, whereboth bag filling and bag closing are effected by substantially adjacentdevices, it has not been possible for a single operator both to applyempty bags to the bag filling device at a satisfactory speed, and alsoto attend the bag closing machine, the latter attendance for the purposeof insuring a straight seam of stitching at an adequate distance fromthe top edge of the bag. This is true because prior lbag closing devicesalone have required the constant attendance of one operator if such astraight stitch line is desired so spaced at such adequate distance.That is, such constant attendance has been necessary by a singleoperator for the purpose, from time to time, of manually lifting theslack in the mouth portions of the filled bags in order to straightenthem out and stretch the same thereby to insure that the top edges ofeach bag will nest snugly in and under the bound-over closure tape whichmay be employed therewith and thus be properly positioned with respectto the stitch line. In those instances where no closure tape isemployed, such operator has also been required for the same purpose toinsure that the top edges of the bag have had the slack removed and thatthey are urged upwardly to insure a substantially straight line ofstitching along the top thereof. Despite the fact that such manualattention has been heretofore given in such apparatus, there has been noassurance that the top edges of the bag would 4remain parallel to thestitch line lof the sewing machine or even at a safe distance above suchstitch line, thereby to insure that the stitching would hold in placesecurely.

Furthermore, in the filling and closing of such bags as those of thegusset type, each of the two gussetsof the bag has heretofore beenmanually tucked in prior to the feeding of the bag top to the bag.closing .machine and rin vso tucking in the gussets there has beenatendency `to .tilt or incline the upper edges of the .filled bag. A`has$117,936y Patented Dec. 314,

2 tended to aggravate the problem of achieving a straight line ofstitching across the top of the bag.

According to the present invention, in one aspect thereof, as the filledbags are conveyed in succession upon a suitable conveyor, such as anendless belt, portions of the upper walls of each bag extend above thelevel of the material therein and comprise the mouth which is to beclosed. The upper marginal portions at the mouth of each bag aredirected into and urged upwardly against the ceiling of -a horizontalguide member in the form of an inverted channel-like device and thus theupper edges of the bag mouth are leveled preparatory to final closing.Such channel-like device has a ceiling which, in cross-section,preferably is rounded or arcuate, the longitudinal axis of which ishorizontal. Such ceiling also may be at and horizontal. The channel-likedevice is provided with side walls, portions lof which are relativelymovable and thus may be spread apart or widened in order to insure easyentrance of each oncoming bag into the channel mouth. Thus such movableside wall portions are in spread apart or relatively widely spacedcondition when the leading Asurfaces of a bag enter therebetween.Shortly after such entering, automatic means are provided forresiliently urging such relatively movable side wall portions toward oneanother thereby to grasp the upper margin of the bag mouth therebetween.Such movable side wall yportions are resiliently urged toward oneanother and have smooth inner surfaces. Consequently each bag isfrictiona'lly engaged and pressed therebetween in a yielding orresilient manner in such a way that while so pressed the upper wallportions can be intermittently frictionally engaged by other means (suchas a feed dog) capable of lovercoming the first-mentioned frictionalengagement and urging such upper wall portions upwardlytoward saidceiling and also forwardly. Such movable portions of the side walls areherein sometimes referred to as primary means for frictionally engagingeach bag mouth, and such other means (which intermittently engage eachbag) as secondary means for frictionally engaging each bag mouth. Thus,after the leading portions of each oncoming 'bag mouth have penetratedby a selected ydistance in between the retracted or separated portionsof the side walls, 4automatic means are actuated to urge such portionstowards one another thereby to press the bag mouth therebetween. Theextent of such penetration is characterized by the fact that it shouldbe sufiicient to insure that a substantial engagement by such secondarymeans (such kas the face of the feed dog) can be effected upon the uppermargin-al portions of the bag top thereby -to urge same upwardly againstythe horizontal ceil ing of the channel-like guiding device. Thedirection of the working or bag moving stroke of said secondary means,such as the feed dog, is inclined or angularly offset upwardly somewhatwith respect to the horizontal, the feed dog performing its usualpulling function 'b ut, by virtue -of such inclination, urging the topregions of the 'bag not only forwardly but upwardly as aforementioned.If such feed dog is employed, it can be provided with serrations whichbecause of such inclination are similarly angularly offset 'but fromthevertical, s uch serrations being preferably dulled in yorder lto Vavoidychafing the bag. Alternatively the face ofthe 'feed dog can be smoothas will appear below, such smoothfaced lfeed dog cooperating with asomewhat similar reciprocatlve gripping element on the other s ide oflthe bag top. One of the aforementioned movable yportions of the channelside wall is referred 'to as a presser foot and is normally mounted formovement toward `and away from the opposite side lwall and parallelthereto. That wportion of the channel side wall which is opposite 9 o tothe presser foot and against which the bag mouth is urged, is normallyreferred to as a throat plate. The reciprocatively mounted feed dogintermittently protrudes through a suitable opening in the throat plate,to engage the bag (by urging it against the presser foot), overcome thefriction of said primary means holding same, pull the bag forward, andsimultaneously to urge same slightly upward as aforementioned.Thereafter the feed dog retracts or withdraws out of engagement with thebag top preparatory to making the next successive or return stroke. Thebag top is then held frictionally between the presser foot and throatplate (primary means), for example, by spring means, awaiting the nextstroke of the feed dog. A modified form of the intermittently actingmeans for frictionally engaging the bags (secondary means) can beemployed comprising a feed dog having a smooth working face (in lieu ofa serrated one) which preferably is tilted in a manner similar to theiirstmentioned feed dog. The

smooth-faced feed dog cooperates with another movable smooth-faced baggripper element on the other side of the bag which moves in timedrelation with the firstmentioned smooth-faced feed dog and whereby thebag top is intermittently gripped and urged upwardly and also forwardly.For example, a smooth cam gripper can be employed which is positionedfor engaging the opposite side of the bag at the same time as thesmoothfaced feed dog. Such smooth cam gripper, for example, can comprisea rotatable disc-like cam adapted to engage the bag with the peripherythereof, such cam being mounted for rotation slightly eccentrically. Thecoacting smooth-faced feed dog and smooth cam gripper, asaforementioned, cause the upper marginal portions of the bag top (as inthe prior modication) to move upwards intermittently in step-likemotions until the upper edges of the bag mouth are aligned against theceiling of the channel-like device whereupon such upper edges move inhorizontal and straight-line attitude toward the sewing head. Theaforementioned presser foot and throat plate hold the bag top in eachnew advanced or raised position during the time the feed dog and camgripper are disengaged therefrom. In the first-mentioned form, thereciprocative feed dog is capable of engaging and moving the bag topportion by coaction with the opposed presser foot without the aid ofanother intermittently acting movable bag gripper element on theopposite side of the bag.

Regardless whether the leading edges of the bag mouth are depressed orraised relative to the trailing edges, the apparatus will cause suchedges to assume a level attitude up under such channel guide member.Thereafter, if desired, by means of a tape applicator, there may beapplied to the now leveled and closed but unsewn upper marginal portionsof each bag mouth a closure tape which is folded astride and along themouth prior to the feeding of such upper marginal portions to a sewingmachine for sewing same closed, together with the sewing on of theclosure tape contemporaneously therewith.

Further and more specific objects, features and advantages of theinvention will appear from the detailed description given below, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of thisspecification and illustrate, by way of example, preferred embodimentsof the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational view, partly in section and with partsbroken away, and illustrating schematically a bag closing systemembodying the present invention;

Fig. la is a plan view illustrating schematically a portion of the bagtop leveling and feeding device shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

` Fig. 3 is a schematic illustration of a modification of the inventionwhich is substantially similar to that shown in Fig. i with theexception of the position of tape applicator means;

Fig. 4 illustrates in greater detail a portion of the apparatus shown inFig. 'l and in particular the tilted feeder unit and sewing headthereof;

Fig. 5 is an inverted plan View, viz., a View from below of portions ofthe principal elements of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side view of certain of the elements embodying the presentinvention and showing the construction of a horizontal guide member forthe upper margins of the bag top, such guide member being in the form ofan inverted channel-like device;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of an inverted channel-like memberbut of slightly different form than that shown in Fig. 7;

Figs. 9 yand 10 illustrate one form of the present in vention actingupon bag tops of differing attitudes;

Fig. ll comprises a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a portionof a feed dog device for frictionally engaging the tops of the bags andurging same upwardly and forwardly;

Fig. l2 is a top plan view of a portion of an apparaus embodying afurther modification of the present invention;

Fig. i3 is a vertical sectional View through the top marginal portionsof a filled open-mouthed bag illustrating the folding over of suchmarginal portions prior to the sewing thereof, such folding over beingeffected by one form of the present invention;

Fig. i4 is a side elevation, partly in section and with parts brokenaway, illustrating a further embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. l5 is an end view of certain of the principal parts of the deviceshown in Fig. 14; and

Fig. 16 is an inverted plan View, viz., a View from below of certainprincipal portions of the apparatus shown in Fig. 14.

Referring to the drawings in further detail, a bag conveyor and settlerunit 2d may be employed which is similar to that shown in the copendingpatent application of W. P.. 'Peterson and Herman Rhodes, Serial No.441,814, which unit is provided with a vibratable settler plate Zi towhich are secured a pair of side settler walls or side boards 22 and7.3. Sach unit 2; is situated beneath an open-mouthed bag filling funnel24 yto which the open mouths of the empty bags are secured for thefilling of a full charge whereupon each bag is dropped a short distanceonto the aforementioned vibrating settler plate means whereby it ismoved onto a continuously moving endless conveyor belt 25. The lattermoves the bag beneath the novel bag top leveling and feeding element 26and thence to a closure tape applicator 27 from whence each bag top isurged through a sewing head 2S which is operated only when a bag top isintroduced therein for sewing. Thus the sewing head 28 is actuatedintermittently in this embodiment. The aforementioned novel bag topleveler and feeder unit 26 includes a guide member 29 in the form of theaforementioned inverted channel having a smooth ceiling portion 29ahaving a horizontal longitudinal axis. Such guide member 29, forexample, `can be in the form of a closure tape binding device to whichthere is fed no tape.

Beneath the ceiling portion 29u and situated substantially downstreamfrom the mouth thereof there is proh vided the aforementioned primarymeans for frictionally engaging the upper marginal portions of the bags,and also the secondary means for intermittently frictionally engagingsuch upper marginal portions and urging same upwardly toward saidceiling and simultaneously forward in the direction of motion of theconveyor 25. Such means comprise, for example,.tilted feedldog. means26a of the type which may be employed in a sewing head.

Referring to Fig. 1a, such feed dog means are constituted by a presserfoot 30, a throatplate 31 anda reciprocatively movabl-e feed dog 32lhaving a serratedface p'raferably with the teeth thereof purposelyslightly dulled or ground away in order to avoid damage to the bags. Thepresser foot 30 and the throat plate31 .comprise in elect portions ofthe side walls of the inverted channellike guide member 29. Theaforementioned feed dog `32 protrudes through suitable kopenings formedin the throat plate 31 in such a manner that the serrations of the feeddog can easily engage the upper marginal portions ofthe bag topinterposed between said presser foot and throat plate.

The feed dog 32, in the form shown, is provided with six separateserrated sub-elements, such as 32a (Figs. `l and 4), each of whichpasses through its individual opening form-ed in the throat plate 31.Each of 'theserrated sub-elements 32a is of elongated conformation, forexample, of rectangular shape, all of the rectangles having parallellongitudinal axes.

The inclination ofthe longitudinal axis of the feed dog 32 is well shownin Figs. 1 and 4. The serrations of the feed dog are all parallel andbecause of such inclination are slightly angularly offset with respectto the vertical. The feed dog 32 is reciprocatively moved in aconventional sewing machine-like feed dog manner by amechanism to bedescribed in greater detail below in connection with Fig. 5.

As is well shown in Fig. l`, the angle of -tilt of the feed dog, withrrespect to the horizontal guide member 29, is illustrated by 1thecharacter 4 and may comprise, for example, 8-l0.

'By virtue of slight tilting or inclination of the feed dog means 26a,the latter imparts not only a forward component of movement to the uppermarginal regions of the bag but also an upward component, thereby urgingsame against the horizontal ceiling of the inverted channel member 29.

yIt will be noted that the feed dog 32 is situated at about themid-point of the length of guide member ,29 and thus well advanceddownstream from the opening lor mouth of such guide member.

In order to avoid metal-to-metal contact of .the reciproca-ting feed dog32 and the presser foot 30, the latter is retracted or withdrawn (as bya pneumatic cylinder device) from such feed dog so long as there is nobag top interposed therebetween. I have found it desirable to maintainthe presser foot in such withdrawn position until the leading edge of anoncoming bag has penetrated approximately to the point 33 (Fig. la)thereby insuring an adequate insertion of the upper marginal regions ofthe bag into the feeder element 26 prior 'to its coming into operationto level the top edges of the bag mouth. Some suitable sensing means canbe positioned at the point 33 for the purpose of ycausing the normallyretracted presser foot 30 to be urged toward the throat plate 31 and thcfeed dog 32. For example, an arm 34 of a microswitch 35 may extend tothe point 33 to be actuated by an oncoming bag when it reaches suchlocation. The microswitch 35 can be operatively connected to a solenoidvalve 36 which, for example, controls a suitable pneumatic powercylinder device 137 which in turn is operatively connected by shaftmeans 37a to the presser foot 30. -I have found it desirable resilientlyto urge the presser foot 30 toward vthe throat plate 31 :by means of ahelical spring 38 (coiled about `shaft 37a) which can be overcome bylsuch pneumatic power cylinder device 37. Thus, the actuation of switch35 by the arrival of an oncoming bag renders inoperative the cylinder 37permitting spring 38 resiliently to actuatethe aforedescribed primarymeans for yfrictionally 4engaging a bag. Conversely, switch 35 isactuated by the departure of a ,bag from point 33, thereby 'to retractpresser foot'.:

.After a bag, such as that shown at 39, .has been lled upon the llingspout 24 and as vitxprogresses toward the feeder unit 26, the operator,if it is a vgusseted bag, will tuck in the gussets preparatory to theintroduction .of the upper marginal .portions of the bag mouth into theChannel 29 and in so doing may tilt the upper portions of the bag sothat the leading corner thereof is higher than the .trailing corner, forexample, such Aupper edge of the bagmay assume the position shown in thebroken line 40. Or alternatively, manipulation of the top .portions ofthe bag may cause the leading corner thereof to be lower than thetrailing corner and thereby to assume the attitude shown by the brokenline 41. 'In either one of these instances, the novel bag leveling and"feeder unit v26 is capable of leveling the top edges of the bag andfeeding same in a desired horizontal attitudeinto the tape applicator 27and thence into the sewinghead 28.

In operation of the system shown in Fig. `1, the succession of bags maybe at an interval of about one-'half foot, it being understood, ofcourse, that the presser foot Sil should be retracted from the throatplate 3.1 and the feed dog 32 when there is no 'bag interposedtherebetween.

Suitable means are provided for starting and stopping the sewing actionof the sewing head 28, comprising a microswitch 42 which, by means of anarm 43 and a rod 44 (Fig. 5) is operatively associated with a shoeelement 45 of the sewing head 28. Thus when the leading edge of anoncoming bag causes the shoe 45 to move away from a stationary opposedshoe 46, such spreading action is communicated to the microswitch 42which in turn initiates .such sewing action. Conversely, the departureof a bag from between elements 45 and 46 can stop such sewing action.

Referring again to Fig. l, a continuous web 47 of bag closure tape isfed to the tape binder or tapeapplicator 27 via a tape guide 43S. Thetape applicator 27, in the form shown in lFig. l, is interposed betweenthe feeder'-` leveler unit 26 and the sewing head '23, whereby the tapeis folded over the levelled topedges of the bag mouth just prior tofeeding `same to the sewing head 28.

However7 in a modication of the invention, the tape 47 is applied asshown in Fig. 3, that is, it is introduced initially to an invertedchannel-like mmeber 249b (analogous to 29) whereby the tape is initiallydirected vvinto the apparatus contemporaneously with the entrance of theupper marginal portions of each of the bags. One of the reasons why thisis desirable is that tape applicator 2917 (Fig. 3) serves the dualpurpose of binding the tape over the oncoming bag top and also providinga horizontal surface towards which the upper edges .of the bag aredirected for the purpose of leveling same in the manner above mentioned.The remainder of the apparatus of Fig. 3 is identical to that shown inFig. 1.

In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the tape must be continuously fed to themachine in order to provide a suitable surface against which the bagtops can be leveled.

i have found it desirable to employ the aforementioned vibratingconveyor unit 26 (Fig. l) wherein the side boards 22 and 23 arevertically disposed and parallel to one another, the length thereof, asmeasured .in a horizontal direction, being as shown in solid lines inFig. .1. However, if desired, such side boards can be elongated, asshown in broken lines in Fig. 1, to extend substantially throughout theentire length of the apparatus and in lieu of being parallel andupstanding they can be slightly canted toward one another, as shown inFig. 2, thereby providing a substantially wedge-shaped path for thepassage of the bags on the conveyors 21 and .25. Such relativepositioning of the side boards 22 and y23., .as shown in Fig. 2, has theresult of producing a somewhat pearshaped bag but nevertheless tends tominimize the bulging outwardly of the mouth of the filled bagL.following its discharge from funnel or filling Aspout 24.'JI`Torm'al'ly when a bag has been lled by the filling spout 24 and hasbeen dropped therefrom onto the conveying means, the upper edges thereofform an ellipse or roughly a circle. It is desirable to flatten ornarrow such ellipse or circle as much as practicable. This isfacilitated by the disposition of the side boards 22 and 23, as shown inFig. 2.

If the side boards 22 and 23 are elongated to the extent shown `inbroken lines in Fig. l, suitable means must be provided for supportingthe left-hand extremities thereof and such means may comprise a suitablecord or sling or, if desired, suitable resilient bearing means, such as50 and 51, can be provided comprising resilient columns of rubber, thebases of which are mounted upon a suitable fixed support, the upper ortop portion thereof being connected to the left-hand portion of the sideboards (Fig. 1).

The settler plate 21 is mounted upon inclined leaf springs 21a and 2lband is vibrated by means of a motordriven eccentric 21e in a mannerdescribed in the aboveidentified copending application Serial No.441,814. The side boards 22 and 23 are each supported upon the vibratingsettler plate 21 by means of respective side brackets 22a, 22b (Figs. 1and 2). Vibratory motion which is imparted to the relatively shorterplates 22 and 23 is, of course, also imparted to such plates when theyare elongated in the form shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 and suchvibratory motion assists in settling and shaping the bags and also hasthe added important effect of aiding in urging each bag forwardly alongits path in the same direction as the motion of the conveyor 25.

Referring now to Fig. 5, the feed dog 32 is operatively connected tomeans which are constructed and arranged for imparting a motion theretowhich is illustrated by means of the arrows or vectors 52, it beingunderstood that Fig. 5 is a bottom or inverted plan view. From sucharrows it will be seen that the feed dog 32 is urged from right to leftsubstantially in a straight line by means of its mounting device andthereafter is retracted from its pulling position and urged towards itsstarting position. Thence it is urged towards its primary operatingposition wherein it protrudes suitably through the openings in thethroat plate 31.

Such means for mounting the feed dog 32 comprises a feed dog rockerlever S3 which is pivotally mounted at 54 and to which is pivotallysecured a feed dog rocker eccentric and connecting rod 55, the latterbeing pivoted at 56 to the lever 53. A rotatable feed dog lift orretracting cam 57 mounted upon a driving shaft 58 is movable within aU-shaped element 59, the latter being rigidly secured to the feed dog 32by means of a connecting rod 60.

Rotation of the feed dog cam 57 effects the motion, as shown by theaforementioned arrows 52. It is, of course, understood that suitablemeans are provided for supporting the interconnecting rod 60 tofacilitate the performance of such movement of the feed dog.

Referring now to Figs. 6, 7 and 8, there will be described two separatetypes of guide members in the form of inverted channels. In the formshown in Fig. 8, the inverted channel guide member consists of a presserfoot 61, the upper edge of which, as viewed in this ligure, ispositioned for movement very close to the ceiling of the invertedchannel member. The remaining portion of the channel member comprises aninverted L-shaped element 62.

In Fig. 7 a presser foot 63 is constructed and arranged in such a waythat its upper edge is positioned somewhat below the ceiling of theinverted channel member. The other portion of this element whichcomprises the inverted channel member is shown at 64 in the form of aninverted J which is so constructed and arranged that the upper edges ofthe bag mouth can be urged up into the upper portions thereof but, inview of the lower position 8 of the presser foot, without directpressure thereon by such foot.

In Figs. 9 and l0 there are shown two separate attitudes of the tops offilled open-mouthed bags, one in which the leading and upper corner ofthe bag is raised somewhat relative to the trailing corner (Fig. 9) andin the other (Fig. 10) the leading corner is relatively depressed ascompared to the trailing upper corner. rfhe novel apparatus is capableof righting each of the tops of the bags in these separate attitudes andof urging the upper edges of the upstanding opposed wall portions into ahorizontal or level attitude up against the smooth undersurfaee orceiling of the channel-like guide member.

In Fig. 1l there is shown on an enlarged scale a portion of the feed dog32 illustrating the purposely dulled or ground-off outer edges 32a ofthe teeth which are thus so constructed and arranged that adequatefrictional engagement with the bag can be attained but the feed dog isprevented from tearing or damaging the bag by virtue of theaforementioned dulling of the teeth which produces a desired slip ofsuch teeth on the bag.

A modification of the invention is shown in Fig. l2 which is identicalto that, for example, shown in Fig. l with the exception that instead ofemploying s single tilted feed dog means 26a, two are employed. onewherein the feed dog faces away from the operator and the other whereinsuch feed dog faces toward him. The two feed dog units insure a positivemovement of both of the edges of the top of the bag up against thcceiling of the channel 29. The primary of such feed dog units is shownat 65, and downstream therefrom is situated a secondary feed dog unit66.

There is also illustrated schematically in Figs. 5 and 12 areciprocating tape cutting l/.uife 67 which cooperates with a stationaryblade 68 adjacent either sewing head 25 (Fig. 5) or sewing head 69 (Fig.l2). The tape cutter 67, 68 severs the tape and thread between the bagsat a desired location.

Referring again to Fig. l, there must be some measure of synchronizationbetween the conveyor 25, the feed dog 32 and the feed dogs of the sewinghead 2d in order that the bag tops shall not be conveyed too fast or tooslow by the conveyor 25 and further in order that suitable stitching maytake place by the sewing head 28.

It has been found that some measure of syneln'oniza` tion of both thefeeding unit 26 and the sewing head 23 should be attained in order toavoid a slight buckle in the top of the bag. if desired, the feed dogsof the sewing head 28 may be increased in speed to provide a greaterhorizontal component of motion as compared to that of the feed dog 32.

Furthermore, inasmuch as the top edges of the bag mouth are leveled orstraightened by means of the element 26, it is possible automatically toretract the presser foot as soon as the leading edge of each bag reachesthe reciprocating needle of the sewing head. Thus. during suchretraction there will be eliminated any need for synchronizing the feeddog of the element 26 with that of the sewing head 2S. That is, with thepresser toot 30 of the feeder and leveler element Z6 retracted, therecan be no tendency of feed dog 32 to overfeed and thereby to cause abuckle. Thus when the presser foot 30 is retracted, the sewing head feeddog is the only one capable of exerting a pulling force upon the top ofthe tag. lf such presser foot 3) is so retracted, it will be desirableto employ suitable resilient means for rcsiliently holding the topmarginal portions of the bag in their raised and leveled attitude. Forexample, a spring clip (not shown) may be employed which will continueto held the top margins of the bag up against the .so-called straightedge or ceiling of the inverted channel member. The top of the bag thuscan be held with sufficient force to prevent same from droppingdownwardly but nevertheless with such a force as to permit a slipping ofthe bag through the spring clip caused by the pull of the feed dog inthe sewing machine.

In another form of the invention, the means for urging upwardly the topportions of the bag mouth may comprise suitable pickup fingers or pickupmeans (not shown) which have a motion acting principally in a verticaldirection rather than a horizontal direction, such pickup fingers beingsuitably mounted to permit an arcing thereof toward the sewing machineas caused by the feed dog of the latter. The vertical stroke of themodified pickup means may be timed to act upon the bag only when thefeed dog of the sewing machine is not pulling forwardly.

In Fig. 13 there is shown an upper fragmentary view in verticalcross-section of a portion of a bag top which has been folded over bymeans of the present invention preparatory to sewing same closed.Although normally the bag top is not so folded over, this may be done ifdesired, for example, by so constructing and arranging the feed dogmeans and also by so constructing and arranging the inverted U-shapedhorizontal channel guide member that the upper edges of the mouth of thebag are so folded over to aid in forming a tight closure. Suchfolding-over of the top margin of the bag, as shown in Fig. 13, can beeffected prior to the application of a closure tape, if it is desired touse such tape. Inverted channel-like means somewhat similar to thatshown in Fig. 7 may be employed for folding-over the top portions of thebag, as in Fig. 13, it being desirable to increase the width of theupper portion of the channel slightly in excess of that shown in Fig. 7in order to be able to accommodate the folded-over portion. Thechannel-like member for causing such fold-over preferably should haverounded upper longitudinal corners and be substantially in the shape ofan inverted U, as shown in such Fig. 7, in order to effect suchfold-over. The folded-over portion is designated by the numeral 70.

Referring now to Figs. 14, 15 and 16, there will be described a furthermodification of the invention which also is somewhat similar to the formshown in Fig. 1 with the following exceptions:

(a) In order further to facilitate the nesting of the top edges of eachbag well up and inside the folded-over closure tape, the folding over ofsuchY tape is commenced earlier as compared to Fig. l (viz., at a pointupstream in comparison to the analogous'location of Fig. 1). Thus thetape is gradually folded-over an inverted U-shaped channel while passingalong and above same, the latter channel serving also as the horizontalstraight-.edge means under which the top edges of the bags are thrustand leveled by means of the tilted feed dog means. Consequently, suchtape, while being held separated from the oncoming bag tops and whilemoving above such inverted U-shaped channel, is folded-over the latter'by means to appear below. As the closed top edges of each bagprogressively emerge from such inverted U-shaped channel, I

the prefolded tape continuously is applied directly thereto andthereover. Consequently, the top edges of each bag and the uppermostinner surfaces of the folded-over tape are placed in direct engagementor substantially so immediately prior to sewing same closed, and withoutthe need further to push the bag top up into the folded tape or viceversa. Thus the direct application of the tape over the bag top occurs,as in Fig. l, betweenA the tilted feeder means and the sewing head.

(b) The throat plate and presser foot are elongated and modified tofacilitate the guiding of the bag tops into and out of the tilted feedermeans, as will appear below.

In sewing closed the now taped bag tops emanating from such modifiedfeeder, a sewing head 71 is .employed similar to sewing head 28 ofFig. 1. The aforementioned modified form of feeder is designatedgenerally by the numeral 72.

Such modified form of feeder`72 includes the following principalelements, some of which have been fdiscussed above in paragraphs(fa) and(fr):

' the guide element 29 of Fig. l.

(l) A stationary throat plate 73 having an extended upstreamportion 73afor aiding in guiding the topsof the bags into the feeder, said throatplate having a downstream extremity 73b which extends almost to, butslightly short of, a feed dog 74 of the sewing head 71.

(2) A presser foot 75 which is similarly formed and substantiallysimilarly mounted as compared with the presser foot 30 above-describedin connection with Fig. l, that is, the presser foot 75, in the absenceof a bag, is normally in a retracted position withdrawn away from andparallel to the stationary throat plate 73 thereby preventing contactwith the feed dog which, in Fig. 14, is designated by the numeral 73e.The presser foot 75 is consequently mounted in a manner similar to thatshown in Fig. 1a with respect to presser foot 30 and is resilientlyurged by suitable means, such as a spring (not shown), toward the throatplate 73. Such spring can be overcome by suitable power means, such asan air cylinder (not shown) which can effect the retraction of foot 75.I have found it desirable for the movably mounted presser foot 75 to besubstantially elongated in the modification of Fig, 14 and to extendfrom a point well in advance of the feed dog 73C, that is, from anoutwardly liared mouth 75a down to the extremity 7517. Thelatterextremity terminates just short of the aforementioned sewing head feeddog 74.

(3) An inverted channel-like member 76, the upper surfaces or ceiling ofwhich are arcuate in cross-section and have a horizontal longitudinalaxis. Member 76 serves a purpose analogous to the upper surfaces 29a ofThis member is also referred to as a primary inverted channel-likemember, in distinction to a secondary inverted channel-like member to beexplained below. Such primary and secondary channel-like members are insuperposed spaced relation and serve jointly to pre-fold the tapepreparatory to applying same to the bag tops.

The aforementioned inverted channel-like element 76 is substantiallyelongated and is provided with a liared mouth 76a which extends upstreamsubstantially beyond the feed dog 73e to a position about even with themouth of the presser foot 75. Said channel-like element 76 protrudesrearwardly to a termination point 76b which may be somewhat upstreamrelative to the extremity 73b of the throat plate 73. The mouth 76a ofelement 76 is flared outwardly, as is well illustrated in Fig. 16, forthe purpose of facilitating the entrance of the upper edges of theoncoming bags. The liared portion narrows down to its normal dimension(which latter persists throughout the balance of the length thereof) ata point substantially the same as the starting point of thereciprocating feed dog 73e. The function of the latter feed dog isl asbefore, to urge the upper marginal portions of the bag top upwardly andagainst the ceiling or top surface of .the inverted channel element 76thereby to compel the upper edges to assume a level position. Theoperation of the gulde member 76 and the guide member 29 are identical1n th1s respect. The cross-section of the uppermost por* tion of theguide member 76 and the guide member 29 may be identical. Preferably theuppermost inner por tion of the guide member 76 is provided with roundedcorners, rather than square corners. The rounded corners assist inurging the edges of the bag toward one another, thereby preventing theirmushrooming outwardly which increases friction thereupon substantially.Such upper portion of the inverted channel member is designated by thenumeral 76e (Fig. 15).

p The novel closure tape fold-over or binder means 77 of themodification of Figs. 14-16 will now be described whlch consistsgenerally of means for folding a strip of closure tape, as at 78, overthe top surface of the aforementioned inverted channel member 76 in sucha way that when each of the bags emerges from the novel feeder unit 72,the upper edges thereof are perfectly level as aforementioned and`immediately are enveloped by the tape which is fully foldedthereovenfthat is folded over a little less than but substantiallythrough 180, and the top edges of the bag are urged well up into thefolded-over tape whereby the peak of the bag edges are engaged by theundersurface of the fold of the closure tape or only very slightlyremoved therefrom. The novel tape fold-over o1' binder means 77 of thismodification commences the tape fold-over operation at a point onlyslightly downstream with respect to the mouth of the invertedchannel-like guide member 76 and thus, as aforementioned, well inadvance of an analogous location of the embodiment of Fig. l. Thus amore gradual tape fold-over talces place and by the time the top edgesof the bag engage the undersurfaces of the fold-over tape, the latter issubstantially fully folded and is easily continuously laid upon suchcontinuously moving top edges of the oncoming bags.

Accordingly the tape binder of the embodiment of Figs. 14-16 comprises asecondary inverted U-shaped channel member 79 superposed along member76, having an inclined mouth 79a, and also having downwardly inclinedtape guide wings 79b and 79e respectively, as is well shownin Fig. 15for guiding the tape into such inclined mouth. The undersurfaces of suchwings 7911 and 79e provide a surface upon which the oncoming closuretape 78 can slide while being folded by the action of the side walls 79dand 79e respectively of the tape binder 79. The guiding effect of suchinner surfaces of the side walls 79a' and 79e effects gradually afolding of the closure tape of somewhat less than but almost 180.

Small tape edge retainer channels 80 and 81 (Fig. 15) are providedrespectively along the lower edges of that portion of the length of thetape binder between the termination of inclined mouth 79a and outlet79j". Such channels serve the purpose of aiding in preventing the upperfolded edge of the tape from engaging with too great a pressure the topsurface 76C of the primary channel 76.

Thus there are provided a pair of spaced but superposed channel members,both of which are substantially coaxial and between which the closuretape is fed and thereby folded over by the joint action of the uppersurface of the primary inverted U-shaped channel member 7o and also byvirtue of the guiding action of the undersurface of the secondarychannel member 79 and its side walls as aforementioned 79d and 79e.

l have found it desirable to form the tape foldover device 77 in threepieces, as is well shown in Fig. 15, comprising a principal supportmember 82, the lowermost surface of which is grooved to form the uppersurface of the tape binder, the other two portions of the threecomprising the side pieces thereof, each of which preferably is anintegral element including, for example on the left, the wing 79h, theside wall 79d and the tape edge retainer channel 80.

Any suitable means can be employed for guiding the oncoming closure tapeinto the novel tape foldover device of this embodiment and, in the formshown, such means comprises a roller 83 having collars 84 and 85 onopposite extremities thereof for preventing the tape from moving olf ofthe roller 83 and also for holding it centered with respect to the tapefoldover device. The roller 83 may be mounted, for example, in suitablebearings or journals in the main .support element 82 (Fig. 15) andcentered with respect thereto.

As shown in Fig. 14, the side walls '79d and 79e of the novel tapebinder terminate at an exit 791 which is slightly upstream with respectto the termination point 76b of the' primary inverted channel guidemeans 76.

Also, as shown in Fig. 14, the tape 78 at the terminal region of thechannel 76, namely, at 76h, is folded in equal amounts with strips oftape of equal width on either side of the bag mouth.

Leading edge 86 of the upper marginal portion of bag 87 is well shown inFig. 14 as emerging from the novel feeder with the top edges thereof 86ain a completely leveled or horizontal attitude.

The action of the novel feeder 72, as above described,

so levels and makes horizontal the upper edges 86a of the bag 87 andaids in urging same downstream from beneath the horizontal ceilingsurfaces of the inverted channel 76. By virtue of the top or roof-likesurface of the channel 76 coacting with the undersurfaces of the channel79 to fold the oncoming tape double with equal laps on opposite sidesand well in advance of the exit 76b, it will be seen that the bag topedges 86a are immediately, upon emergence from the channel 76, thrustinto engagement with the undersurface of the fold of the closure tape.This occurs, for example, at approximately the region designated by thenumeral 88.

Consequently the upper edges of the bag top are easily and continuouslyurged well up into the bound-over closure tape.

lf desired, the feed dog 74 of the sewing head 71 can be continuouslyoperated thereby continuously to pull the closure tape 78 through themachine, such pulling, of course, being synchronized in speed with thespeed of the motion of the oncoming bags whereby the leading upper edgesof the bag emerging from the novel feeder 72 are moved into engagementwith a moving bound-over tape. Alternatively, the feed dog 74 of thesewing head 71 can be intermittently operated, the operation beinginitiated only in response to a bag moving between the throat plate andpresser foot of the sewing head 71 in the manner analogous to thatdescribed above in connection with Fig. 5. In the latter event, amicroswitch 39 and its control arm 90 are employed for purposesanalogous to microswitch 42 and arm 43 of Fig. l.

Reverting to Figs. 14 and 16, it will be seen that the portion 73a ofthe throat plate 73 extends upstream well beyond the mouth 76a of theinverted channel-like member 76. The reason for this is to provide asurface commencing, as at 73a, against which the top of the leadingportions of each bag can be pushed manually by the operator, therebyinsuring that the leading edge of the bag will enter the mouth of theguide or channel element 76.

The presser foot 75 and the throat plate 73 are disposed relative to thefeed dog 76 in a manner analogous to that of the embodiment of Fig. 1with the exception of the elongated downstream or rear portion of thepresser foot terminating at 75b.

As is well shown in Fig. 14, a microswitch 91 is cmployed for a purposeanalogous to microswitch 35 (Fig. la). To the microswitch 91 a controlarm 92 is operatively associated, by means of which an air cylinder 93(for a purpose to appear below) is controlled through the intermediaryof a suitable solenoid valve (not shown).

In operation of the embodiment shown in Figs. 14-16, a bag, such as S7,is advanced by means of a suitable conveyor, such as an endless beltconveyor analogous to the conveyor means shown in Fig. 1. The upperportions of such bag may be, for example, tilted slightly downwardly,which attitude will be corrected by means of the novel apparatus. Thepresser foot 75 is in n retracted position spaced away from thereciprocating feed dog 73e and so remains until the leading portions ofthe bag penetrate into the novel feeder a preselected amount, forexample, up to a point as at 94 (Fig. 14) at which time, by virtue ofthe operation of the microswitch 91. and its arm 92, the air cylinder 93is actuated thereby to close the presser foot 75 and thus to urge thetop regions of the bag between the presser foot 75 and the throat plate73 whereby the reciprocating feed dog can intermittently frictionallyengage such upper bag regions and urge same both forwardly and upwardly.Such forward and upward urging moves the bag up against the horizontalunder-surfaces of the primary inverted channel member 76 and therebyforces the upper edges of the bag into a horizontal attitude. Theapparatus will perform this function whether the upper edges of the bagare tilted downwardly or upwardly. The closure tape 7S at this time maybe stationary (assuming intermittent operation of asi-75936 the sewinghead), such tape being threaded through the machine and passing throughthe primary and secondary inverted channel members (Fig. 15) and thenceup to and past the feed dog 74 of the sewing head 71, thus being incondition for immediately being pulled forward by the feed dog 74. Theupper edges of the bag 87 are forced into a horizontal attitude by thenovel feeder 72 and thence are urged downstream, as shown in Fig. 14,from right to left and towards the sewing head 71. When the upperleading edge 86 of the bag emerges from the inverted channel 76, it thenmoves beneath the stationary closure tape until it reaches the sewingmachine, at which time the motion of the bag can actuate the microswitcharm 90 thereby to initiate operation of the sewing head 71 and thus topull the tape 78 through the sewing head at a rate equal to that of themotion of the bag. Alternatively the sewing head can operatecontinuously and thus continuously pull the tape 78 therethrough.

It is, of course, understood that the 'conveyor means shown anddescribed in connection with Fig. l, and including the particulararrangement of the side boards 22 and 23, can be employed with any otherembodiment including Figs. 14-16.

While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferredexamples which have given satisfactory results, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art after understanding the invention that variouschanges and modifications may be made Without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention, and it is intended therefore in the appendedclaims to cover all such changes and modifications.

What is claimed is:

l. `In apparatusof the class described, conveying means for conveyinglled bags in succession along a Vcommon path with the closure portionsat the mouth of each bag in opposed positions, a guide member generallyin the form of channel means and having 'a guide surface extending inthe same direction as `said p'ath and having a longitudinal axis lwhichis substantially parallel to said path, primary means for resilientlyfrictionally engaging such closure portions extending along such guidesurface, and secondary means for contemporaneously intermittentlylfrictionally engaging such closure portions overcoming the frictionalengagement of said .primary means thereupon and urging such portionstoward said guide surface.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein` means are provided forcontrolling the operation of said primary means in response to theposition "of a bag with respect to said guide surface.

3; In apparatus of the class described, conveying means for conveyingfilled vbags in succession along a common path with the wall closureportions at the mouth of each bag in opposed positions, a guide membergenerally in the form of channel means having sides .and -a oor portionand vvfor receiving such opposed wall closure portions between the sidesthereof, such oor portion being substantially parallel to the-aforementioned path and `in a selected attitude against which ltheedges of such bag wall closure portions can be thrust thereby toposition such edges also in aselected attitude, mechanical meanspositioned for urging such bag wall closure portions of each bag intosaid channel means and against such licor portion thereof while falsourging same in the direction of motion of such conveying means, andmeans for guiding a strip of closure tape over `the upper surfaces ofsuch channel means lthereby to foldsame into substantially U-shapefpr'eparatoryfto applying same to such edges and to the bag wallclosure portions.

74.1In combination with a machine for closing openmouthed lled bags,conveying means for conveying to `said `machine such `lilled bags insuccession with wall l'closureeportions thereof inopposed positions,primary inclosure portions yand guiding same towardV said closingymachine, means' for urging said wall closure portions upwardly againstthe innery surfaces of such channel-like means and also in the directionof motion of said conveyor, secondary channel-like means, the latterbeing positioned along and adjacent the former but spaced therefrom forcoacting with said primary channel-like means for folding bag closuretape preparatory to its being applied to the margins of such wallclosure portions.

5. In combination with a machine for closing openrnouthed filled bags,conveying means for conveying to said machine such filled bags insuccession with upper wall closure portions thereof in opposedupstanding positions, a primary inverted channel-like element situatedin advance of said closing machine for preliminarily holding closed saidupper wall closure portions and guiding same toward said closingmachine, means for urging said upper' wall closure portions vupwardlyagainst the inner upper surfaces of such element and also in thedirection of motion of said conveyor, a secondary inverted channel-likeelement, the latter being positioned above the former and spacedtherefrom but closely adjacent thereto for coacting with said primaryelement for folding bag closure tapeV preparatory to applying same tothe margins of such wall closure portions, said primary and secondaryelements being positioned for applying such tape to such margins at alocation between said urging means and said bag closing machine.

6. In combination with a machine for closing openmouthed filled bags,conveying means for conveying tov said machine such lled bags insuccession with upper wall closure portions thereof in opposedupstanding positions, prlmary horizontal inverted channel-like meanssituated in advance of said closing machine for preliminarily holdlngclosed said upper Wall closure portions and guiding same toward saidclosing machine, means for urging said upper wall closure portionsupwardly against the inner upper surfaces of such channel-like means andcontemporaneously in the direction of motion of said conveyor, secondaryinverted channel-like means, the latter being positioned above theformer and spaced therefrom but closely adjacent thereto and havingdownwardly inclined wings at the mouth thereof for the purpose ofguiding closure tape therein whereby such tape is foldable by thecoaction of such primary and secondary means and is thus prepared forapplication to the margin of such upper wall closure portions.

7. In apparatus of the class described, the combination comprising:conveying means for conveying lled bags in succession along a commonsubstantially horizontal path with upper wall closure portions of eachbag in opposed upstanding positions, ya generally horizontal guidemember having an undersurface of arcuate transverse contiguration, saidguide member being positioned generally in the path of such upper wallclosure portions but slightly thereabove and extending in the samedirection whereby the upper edges of 'such wall closure portions can bereceived thereby and urged upwardly against such undersurface, means forintermittently frictionally engaging such upper wall closure portionsand urging same in a direction which is tilted upwardly with respect tothe horizontal but which is in the same direction as that of suchconveyor, whereby such upper edges can be so urged `up against saidundersurface and also urged in the direction of said conveyor, opposedplate members situated on opposite sides `of the path of said upper wallclosure portions, and means vfor resiliently urging at least one of saidplate members toward the other member whereby said upper wall closureportions are yieldingly frictionally engagedthereby .in order to holdsuch portions while being acted upon by said intermittently engagingmeans.

8. In apparatus of the class described, .the rcombination comprising:conveyingmeans for conveying filled bagsin succession along a Acommon`substantially khorizontal path with upper wall closure portions of eachbag in opposed upstanding positions, a generally horizontal guide memberhaving an undersurface which is positioned generally in the path of suchupper wall closure portions but slightly thereabove and extending in thesame direction whereby the upper edges of such wall closure portions canbe urged upwardly against such undersurface and thus leveled, means forintermittently frictionally engaging such upper wall closure portionsand urging same up against said undersurface, opposed plate memberssituated on opposite sides of the path of said upper wall closureportions constructed and arranged for yieldingly and frictionallyengaging such wall closure portions, means for holding said plates inretracted condition, and means for rendering ineifective said holdingmeans in response to an upper wall portion of a bag moving a selecteddistance in between said plates.

9. In combination with a machine for closing openmouthed filled bags,conveying means for-conveying to said machine such filled bags insuccession with the upper wall closure 'portions thereof in opposedgenerally upstanding positions, a bag top feeder element situated aheadof said bag closing machine for leveling the top edges of such upperwall closure portions and urging same into a selected attitude includinga guide member comprising inverted channel-like means having opposedside walls, one of such side walls being stationarily mounted and theother being mounted for movement toward or away therefrom, suchstationary side wall having an opening therein, feed dog means having aworking face positioned in such opening for intermittent frictionalengagement with a bag top in such inverted channel-like means, such facebeing disposed whereby the motion thereof when in engagement with suchbag top has an upward component and a component in the direction ofmotion of such conveyor.

10. In bag closing apparatus, the combination comprising: conveyingmeans for conveying filled bags in succession with upper wall closureportions thereof in opposed upstanding positions substantially parallelto the conveyor path; a guide member for such upper wall closureportions comprising an inverted channel having a horizontal ceiling,such guide member being situated in advance of such closing apparatusand above the conveying means and into which said opposed upper wallportions pass, a throat plate `comprising a portion of a side wall ofsuch channel guide member, such throat plate having an opening therein,a feed dog having a working face positioned for reciprocative movementin such opening; at least a portion of the side wall of such channelguide member opposite to such throat plate being movably mounted andresiliently urged toward said face of said feed dog, said feed dog beingconstructed and arranged for intermittent frictioual engagement withsaid upper wall closure portions within such guide member thereby tourge same in the direction of such conveyor and also upwardly toward thehorizontal ceiling of said guide member.

l1. In apparatus of the class described, conveying means for conveyingfilled bags along a common path in succession with the upper wallclosure portions thereof in opposed upstanding positions, substantiallyparallel to the conveyor path; a guide member for holding closed suchupper wall closure portions while the bags are being conveyed, suchmember comprising an inverted channel having a ceiling parallel to suchpath and having opposed side walls at least a portion of one of which ismounted for movement towards or away from the other side wall and whichis resiliently urged theretowards; and means for intermittentlyfrictionally engaging the bag upper wall closure portions and urgingsame in the direction of motion of such conveyor, such means beingdisposed whereby such intermittent urging thereof is accompanied by anupward component for urging such bag closure portions upwardly .againstsuch ceiling.

l2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination comprising:conveying means for conveying filled bags in succession with upper wallclosure portions thercof in opposed upstanding positions; a horizontalguide element; and feeder means mounted beneath such element andincluding: a serrated feed dog, a throat plate and a presser plate, theserrated feed dog being so constructed and arranged intermittently topull the upper wall closure portions in the direction of such conveyorand also to urge same upwardly toward such horizontal guide element.

l3. In combination with a machine for closing openmouthed filled bags,conveying means for conveying to said machine such filled bags insuccession with the upper wall closure portions thereof in opposedupstanding positions; a bag top feeder element including a bag top guidemember comprising an inverted channel-like element for receiving suchupper wall closure portions, the ceiling of such inverted channel-likeelement being parallel with the path of said conveying means, means formounting at least a portion of one of the side walls of such invertedchannel-like element for movement towards or away from the other sideWall thereof and for resiliently urging such movably mounted side walltowards such other side Wall, means for urging such upper `:vall closureportions upwardly and into such bag top guide member and thus up againstthe ceiling thereof comprising a feed dog having a face for frictionallyengaging such portions and having a plane of motion disposed slightlyangularly inclined from the horizontal, such feed dog extending throughan opening formed in said second-mentioned channel side wall wherebysaid movable portion of the first-mentioned side wall can urge a bag topresiliently against such feed dog face, said feed dog having meansassociated therewith for reciprocatively moving same with such face tocontact with a bag passing between such side walls thereby pulling samegenerally in the direction of such conveyor and also urging sameupwardly by virtue of the aforementioned inclination: means for holdingsaid movable channel side wall in a retracted position with respect tothe other side wall; and means for rendering inoperative such holdingmeans in response to a bag top progressing a preselected distance intosuch bag top feeder element.

14. In apparatus of the class described, the combination comprising:conveying means for conveying filled bags in succession along a commonsubstantially horizontal path with upper wall closure portions of eachbag in opposed npstanding positions, a guide member having asubstantially horizontal surface portion and positioned generally in thepath of such upper wall closure portions but slightly thereabove wherebythe upper edges of such wall closure portions can be urged up againstsaid substantially horizontal surface portion, and mechanical meanspositioned for urging such upper Wall closure portions upwardly towardssuch horizontal portion and horizontally in the direction of suchconveyor.

l5. l'n apparatus of the class described, conveying means for conveyingfilled bags in succession along a common path with the wall closureportions at the mouth of each bag in opposed positions, a guide membergenerally in the form of channel means having sides and intermediatesurface portions therebetween and positioned for receiving such opposedwall closure portions between the sides thereof, such intermediatesurface portions having a longitudinal axis which is substantiallyparallel to the aforementioned path and thus in a selected attitudeagainst which the edges of such bag wall closure portions can be thrustthereby to position such edges also in a selected attitude, and meanspositioned for urging such bag wall closure portions of each bag intosaid channel means and against such intermediate surface portion thereofand also in the direction of motion of such conveying means.

,16, In apparatus of the class described, conveying means for conveyingfilled bags in succession along a common path with the wall closureportions at the mouth of each bag in opposed positions, a guide membergenerally in the form of channel means having sides and a guide surfaceintermediate therebetween for receiving such opposed wall closureportions between the sides thereof, such intermediate guide surfacebeing substantially parallel to the aforementioned path and in aselected attitude against which the edges of such bag wall closureportions can be thrust thereby to position such edges also in a selectedattitude, mechanical means positioned for urging such bag wall closureportions of each bag into said channel means and against suchintermediate guide surface thereof and contemporaneously in thedirection of motion of such conveying means, and means for applying aclosure tape over such edges following the discharge of the latter fromsuch guide member.

17. In combination with a machine for closing openmouthed filled bags,conveying means for conveying to said machine such filled bags insuccession with the upper wall closure portions thereof in opposedupstanding positions; a bag top feeder element including: a guide membercomprising inverted channel means having a mouth portion for receivingsuch upper wall closure portions, said channel means having portions forguiding said upper wall closure portions into a closed condition, theceiling surface of such guide member being parallel with the path ofsaid conveying means; means beneath such guide member for urging suchupper wall closure portions upwardly and into such guide member and thusagainst said ceiling surface including a pair of separable substantiallyvertical guide plates resiliently urged together, and a feed dog whichis reciprocatively movable intermittently frictionally to engage theupper portions of any bag between said guide plates, the reciprocativemotion of such feed dog having components acting both upwardly and inthe direction of motion of said conveyor; and a closure tape applicatorpositioned for applying tape along and astride the closed upper wallclosure portions of the bags at a location between said bag top feederelement and said bag closing machine.

18. In apparatus of the class described, the combination comprising: adevice for filling an open-mouthed bag; a sewing machine for sewingclosed the mouths of a succession of open-mouthed filled bags; a bagmouth leveling and feeding unit positioned intermediate said bag fillingdevice and sewing machine, said leveling and feeding unit havinginverted channel guide means in alignment with the path of movement ofthe bags for holding the mouth of the bags in closed condition and alsohaving means for urging the top marginal portions of the bag mouthsupwardly toward the ceiling surfaces 'of said inverted channel guidemeans and also toward said sewing machine; and conveyor means for movinga succession of filled bags along the aforementioned path from beneathsaid bag filling device beneath said feeder and leveler unit and saidsewing machine, said conveyor means including a pair of substantiallyupright side plates positioned in spaced face-to-face relation alongopposite margins of the aforementioned path of the bags and extendingfrom beneath said bag filling device along the bag path beneath saidleveler and feeder unit and said sewing machine, bag bottom supportingmeans extending along such path, means for imparting a reciprocativemotion to at least a portion of said bag bottom supporting means, saidmotion having a vertical component and a component in the direction ofmotion of said bags, said side plates being connected to thereciprocative portion of said bag bottom supporting means, suchreciprocative motion imparting a vibratory movement to said side platesthereby to slap the sides of the bags resting on said supporting meansand to advance same along the bag path.

19. In apparatus of the class described, the combination comprising: abag filling device for open-mouthed bags; a bag mouth feeder and levelerunit; and a sewing machine for sewing closed the mouths of bags whichare fed thereto by said bag mouth leveler and feeder unit; and conveyormeans for moving a succession of filled bags along a selected path froma position beneath said bag filling device to said bag mouth feeder andleveler unit and thence to said sewing machine, said conveyor meansincluding bag bottom supporting means extending along the same path, apair of substantially upright side plates positioned in spacedface-to-face relation along opposite margins of said bag path, means forimparting a vibratory motion to said side plates thereby to producereciprocative angular movement in said plates about a vertical axisthereof causing said plates to slap the sides of the bags therebetweenand urge same along said path, at least a portion of said bag bottomsupporting means including a conveyor element movable in the directionof said path.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,362,462 Belcher et al. Nov. 14, 1944

